Overseaming sewing-machine.



A. H; DE VOE. OVBRSEAMING SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1908.

Patented May 21, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 l/Vl/E/VTOR ATTORNEY 4' llllll WITH/E8858.

A. H. DE VOE. OVERSEAMING SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1908.

Patented May 21, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORIVEY COLUMBIA PMNUQRAPH C0, WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. DE VOE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OVERSEAMING SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DE Von, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overseaming SewingMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates more particularly to an improvement in the means for receiving and supporting the overseam stitches as they are produced in overseam stitching machines, and it has for its principal objects to permit the presser-foot to rise and fall in passing over cross seams and other inequalities in the thickness of the work without affecting the uniformity of the overseam stitches, while permitting the presser-foot to be lifted to any required elevation for the different classes of work without endangering the disarrangement of the looper or other operative parts by the starting of the machine while the presser-foot is raised, as would result from the application of the chaining finger directly to the presser-foot as heretofore.

According to the present invention, the chaining finger is yieldingly mounted independently of the presser-foot and is pressed normally upward out of operative osition by means of a spring, so as to reac ily rise for the introduction and removal of the work, and is pressed downwardly into operative position by means carried by the presserfoot to insure its normal cooperation with the stitch-forming mechanism in the production of the overseam. By this means, the presser-foot is enabled to rise and fall when passing over inequalities in the thickness of the work, such as those produced by cross seams, while the overseam stitches embracing the chaining finger retain the same upon the work so that the uniformity of such stitches is not disturbed as would be the case were the chaining finger compelled to rise with the presser-foot. It will be observed that as the chaining finger is sustained by a spring in elevated positlon when the presser-foot is lifted, the accidental starting of the machine with the parts in such position will merely cause the chaining finger to be depressed in case it is struck by the overseaming looper, if stitchforming mechanism comprising such a looper should be employed.

The present improvement includes certain specific features which will be hereinafter described and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an overseaming sewing machine of the type forming the subject of the United States Patent to Philip Diehl No. 733,170, July 7, 1903, and embodying the present improvements; and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same in section in a plane parallel with and slightly above the workplate. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the forward portion of the bracket-arm, the throat-plate and the parts carried thereby. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the chaining finger and its carrier with the bracket upon which the latter is mounted. Fig. 5 is a front end view of the chaining finger and its carrier with the throat-plate in sectional elevation. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional elevation of the chaining finger carrier and its supporting means.

As in the United States Patent No. 733,170, before mentioned, the frame of the machine comprises the base 1 and overhanging bracket-arm 2, in the former of which is journaled the main-shaft 3 having at its rearward end the balance-wheel 4:, pulley 5 and interposed crank embraced by the pitman 6 constituting an actuating element for the vertically reciprocating needlebar 7 journaled in the head of the bracketarm and carrying the eye-pointed needle 8.

The thread-carrying looper 9 is adapted to enter thread-loops presented by the needle beneath the throat-plate 10, pass around the edge of the recess 11 formed in the latter and to present its own loop for passage of the needle. As in the prior patent above referred to, the looper is fixed upon the rock-shaft 12 mounted upon the rocking carrier 13 fulcrumed at 14 and provided with a crank-pin 15 with slide-block 16 embraced by the forked upper end of the rocklever 17 fulcrumed at 18 upon the carrier 13. The carrier 13 and rock-lever 17 are connected by means of the pitmen 19 and 20, respectively, with the two arms of a bellcrank lever fixed upon the rock-shaft 21 deriving its operative movements from a crank 22 upon the main-shaft 3.

The feeding mechanism comprises the usual feed-dog 23 working in apertures 24 in the throat-plate and actuated by means of an adjustable eccentric 25 upon the mainshaft having operative connections including a pitman-rod 26 with strap 27 embracing said eccentric.

The machine base is provided with a portion 28 affording a flat seat upon which are supported the throat-plate 10 and workplate 29. Fitted to a transverse slideway in the base portion 28 is the lower trimming knife-carrier 30 upon which is secured the lower knife 31 cotiperating with the upper knife 32 mounted upon the reciprocating carrier 33. Upon the stationary lower knife-carrier is secured by means of fastening screws 34 the plate 35 upon which is secured by means of the fastening screw 36 the fulcrum-block 37 having a transverse aperture entered by the fulcrum stud-screw 38 secured in the rearward end of the vertically swinging lever 39 carrying at its forward end the laterally disposed block 40 formed with the tapering chaining finger 41 extending from the lever 39 in the direction of feed adjacent to and at the inner side of the needle 8 and beneath the upper or looppresenting position of the looper 9.

The chaining finger carrying lever 39 is provided adjacent the chaining finger with a depending guide-pin 42 curved substantially concentric with the fulcrum-screw 38 and adapted to enter an aperture 43 provided toreceive the same in the throat-plate 10 adjacent the needle-hole 44. The outer side of this guide-pin 42 is disposed in advance of and substantially in line with the corresponding edge of the chaining finger, and serves as a gage for the trimmed edge of the material as it passes to the stitchforming mechanism to receive the overseam.

The carrying lever 39 is provided in the face adjacent the fulcrum-block 37 with a laterally extending screw-pin 45 which enters a segmental slot 46 formed in the fulcrum-block concentric with the screw 38. This pin receives the thrust of a spring 47 within a socket 48 in the fulcrum-block, tending to force the carrying lever 39 yieldingly upward, and the upward movement of the pin 45 under the act-ion of this spring is limited by its engagement with the adjustable stop-screw 49 tapped into the top of the fulcrum-block and extending into its segmental clearance slot 46, a lock-nut 50 being provided to retain the stop-screw 49 in the required position of adjustment.

As herein shown, the machine is provided with a presser-foot having an operative or sole portion 51 provided with a lug 52 pivotally connected by means of a fulcrum-pin 53 with the forked base-portion 54 of the shank whose channeled upper portion 55 is secured by means of the fastening screw 56 to the lower end of the pressenbar. 57 normally pressed downwardly by means of the usual spring 58 surrounding the same and interposed between the adjustable bushing 59 and a thrust-collar 6O adjustably secured thereon by means of a set-screw 61 and pro vided with a laterally projecting lug 62 adapted for engagement with the cam portion 63 of a lifting lever 64 fulcrumed by means of the screw 65 upon the head of the bracket-arm in a manner well known. The toe portion of the presser-foot member 51 is provided at its inner edge with an overhanging lug 66 carrying a backwardly extending pin 67 with its rear end extended above and adapted to engage the adjacent end of the carrying lever 39.

As will be observed, the lifting spring 47 normally presses the lever 39 upwardly into contact with the retaining pin 67, and as the Presser-foot is lifted by means of the lever 64, the carrying lever 39 is permittedto rise with the presser-foot until the lateral pin 45 carried thereby is intercepted by the stopscrew 49, when the rise of the chaining finger from lowered operative position is checked and the'presser-foot continues to rise to its extreme position which is determined by the adjustment of the collar 60 upon the presser-bar. lVhen the presserfoot is lowered, the pin 67 engages the top of the lever 37 and carries it downward to bring the chaining finger into operative relation with the stitch-forming mechanism.

It will be observed that the mounting of the chaining finger independently of the presser-foot and throat-plate permits of its being secured upon a carrier reciprocating in a plane transverse to the throat-plate and the direction of feed, whereby the tilting of the sole plate 51 of the presser-foot in riding over c'ross seams and other irregularities of the work cannot disturb its parallelism with the surface of the throat-plate and the work so as to affect the uniformity of the several overseam stitches remaining upon the chaining finger at any given time. Furthermore, the capability of the chaining finger carrier to remain in operative position independently of the rising and falling move ments of the presser-foot enables the chaining finger to follow to the greatest possible extent the surface of the material to be overseamed so as to prevent the disarrangement of the stitches temporarily surrounding and supported upon the chaining finger.

It is evident that the present improvement is susceptible of material variation from the embodiment herein shown and described, and it is therefore to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form and arrangement of the chaining finger and its supporting and actuating means disclosed herein nor to the particular class of overseaming stitch-forming mechanism with which it is associated in the present embodiment.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a sewing machine, the combination with the throat-plate, overseaming stitchforming mechanism including a reciprocating needle and a looper moving above the throat-plate and transversely of the line of stitch-formation, and feeding mechanism, of a spring-pressed presser-foot having a rigid shank and a tilting pressure-member fulcrumed thereon, means for lifting the presser-foot, and a chaining finger mounted upon a fulcrum supported independently and disposed transversely in relation to that of said pressure member and spring-pressed upwardly but adapted to be thrown into lower operative position by engagement with said pressure member of the presser-foot, said chaining finger being disposed beneath the path of movement of said looper above the throat-plate.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with the throat-plate, overseaming stitchforming mechanism including a reciprocating needle and a looper moving above the throat-plate and transversely of the line of stitch-formation, and feeding mechanism, of a spring-pressed presser-bar, a presserfoot having a shank portion rigidly secured to said bar and provided with a hinged tilting pressure-member, and an adj acent chain ing finger arranged above the throat-plate and between the same and the ath of movement of the looper, said chaining finger being pivotally mounted independently of and having its axis of movement disposed transversely of that of the pressure-member of the presser-foot and parallel with the direction of feed, and the chaining finger being adapted for differential movement in relation to said pressure-member.

3. In a sewing machine, the comblnation w1th over-seammg stitch-forming mechanism and feeding mechanism, of a presserfoot, a chaining finger, a carrier therefor movable independently of the presser-foot, a spring acting upon said carrier for lifting the chaining finger out of operative position, a stop for limiting the lift of the chaining finger, and means carried by the presserfoot for throwing the chaining finger into operative position.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with over-seaming stitch-forming mechanism and feeding mechanism, of a presserfoot, a chaining finger, a carrier therefor movable independently of the resser-foot, a spring acting upon said carrier for lifting the chaining fin or out of operative position, a lateral stop-pin upon sald carrier, a stationary adjustable stop-screw adapted to engage said stop-pin to limit the throw of the carrier under the action of said spring, and means carried by the resser-foot for throwing the chaining finger into operative position.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with over-seaming stitch-forming mechanism and feeding mechanism, of a springpressed presser-foot provided with a hinged tilting pressure member, an adjacent chaining finger having a flat lower face forming a pressure member auxiliary to the operative work-engaging face of the pressure member of said foot, a vibrating carrying lever for said chaining finger, a spring acting upon said carrying lever for raising the chaining finger, and means carried by the hinged pressure member of the presser-foot for lowering the chaining finger into operative position in opposition to said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT H. DEVOE.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER,

J osnrrr F. J AQUITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O." 

